To Feel Loved
by Akatsuki Child
Summary: She'd never known love. Her life had been tough from the very beginning. But maybe, after all this pain and suffering, there really is a silver lining.


**My Internet has been down so I haven't been able to update much. I was mostly working on this but now that I finished it, I'm going to start working on my Christmas present to all of my readers :) This is just a little fic mostly about Thalia. But of course, there's ApollThalia :) Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

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><p>It all started when she was freed from the tree.<p>

The Golden Fleece had worked a little _too_ well, and suddenly Thalia was "reborn." After being released from the tree, she had been taken to the Big House (well, she had actually led the way there, but that's neither here nor there) where Annabeth, Grover, and some other kid explained to her what had happened. Thalia soon came to learn that "the kid" was Percy Jackson, another child of the Big Three. She felt a pit of relief in her stomach to know that there was another kid who could relate to her on some level.

However, she soon found out how much of a, as Annabeth put it, "Seaweed Brain" Percy could be. He was, in her opinion, naïve. He knew barely anything about the demigod world and he was outspoken. At first, she was annoyed with him and how close he had gotten to Annabeth and Grover. But then, after about a week, she came around and she was able to tolerate him. Thalia mostly came to this point because she had learned that his moral compass, for the most part, pointed due north. He wasn't a bad kid, and she even came to respect him.

And then, the blue-eyed daughter of Zeus came to know the truth about Luke.

In all actuality, she had been mostly dead. Only a part of her spirit had been attached to the tree to keep the border protected. She hadn't known about Luke changing or Percy coming to Camp. The only thing that had really happened to her was when her tree had been poisoned. That small part of her spirit had felt a sort of ache. But other than that, she had been as lifeless as the tree.

But now, she had her body and soul back. She was devastated to learn that Luke had gone bad. She had come to love him before she gave herself up on the hill. They had become close from all the running around they had done together, along with Annabeth. The child of Athena was too young to remember much, but Thalia remembered how bitter Luke had been about the gods. He was so upset about his mom, and his dad doing nothing to help her. It had shaken Luke to the core.

She had tried to help him. She felt uncomfortable doing so, but she knew that if she didn't try something, he would never be the same. Apparently, she had failed.

When Annabeth was kidnapped and the quest was given, Thalia _needed_ to go. Granted, she hated those damn Huntresses, but she would deal with them. She not only needed to save Annabeth, but perhaps she could figure out some answers about Luke.

And then, her life changed.

They met Artemis, and she called on her brother, Apollo, to drive them to Camp Half-Blood after fighting Dr. Thorn. He appeared in a red convertible Maserati Spyder with a stupid, cocky grin and a pair of pitch-black shades. He had a smile as bright as the sun and his bright green eyes were sparkling happily.

Thalia felt herself blush at how attractive he was. However, it slowly turned into slight horror as she realized how much he looked like Luke, minus the scar and blue eyes. Plus, Apollo was taller and leaner.

"Wow. Apollo is hot," Thalia muttered uncharacteristically. She hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"He's the sun god," Percy replied slowly.

Thalia stared at him. "…That's not what I meant…"

Before Percy could reply, Apollo spoke up. "Little sister!" he called, throwing his arms up and grinning at Artemis.

The moon goddess felt her eye twitch as she sighed. "I need a favor. I have some hunting to do, _alone_. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."

"Sure, sis!"

Then, he started spouting a haiku. According to Zoe, he had been addicted to them ever since visiting Japan. Thalia just rolled her eyes. Honestly, he may have been _very_ attractive, but he seemed really ditzy.

"These demigods will also need a ride," Artemis said, pointing to Thalia, Percy, and Grover.

"No problem! Let's see…Thalia, right?" he asked, smiling genuinely at said girl. Thalia raised a brow and nodded. His smile grew. "I thought so. Glad you aren't a tree anymore!"

Thalia felt her anger grow a bit at that. She huffed and crossed her arms. "It's not like I had a choice," she retorted coldly.

Apollo put his hands up. "Just saying. I hate it when pretty girls are turned into trees."

He smirked devilishly, and Thalia felt her jaw drop. She clenched her teeth and turned away, steaming with annoyance and anger. He was insufferable.

But he had called her pretty, and usually boys were afraid to talk to her (with the excuse of Luke, Percy, and Grover).

"Brother," Artemis interrupted, glaring at Apollo. "You should get going."

"Oh, right."

He turned to his car and started making his way towards it, but Nico stopped him.

"Umm…how will we all fit?"

Apollo stopped and blinked. He turned back around and saw the large group of demigods. He looked back at his two-seater Maserati.

"Hmm. That is a problem…"

Thalia rolled her eyes. He suddenly brought his keys out and hit the alarm. It chirped twice before turning into a sort of shuttle large enough to hold everyone.

The sun god turned and clapped his hands, grinning. "All right then. Everyone in!"

Zoe started to load the Hunters in, and as she was about to pick up her camping pack, Apollo stepped in. "Here, sweetheart. Let me get that."

Artemis' eyes grew deadly. Her tone was murderous, yet composed. "Brother, you do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my Hunters. And you do _not_ call them sweetheart."

He recoiled. "Sorry, sorry. I forgot!"

Artemis gave him one last warning glare before studying the ground and then running off. Apollo rolled his eyes and entered the shuttle, where all the Hunters had crammed into the back, as far away from him as possible. Thalia, however, had no intention of sitting with them. They bothered the heck out of her.

She was about to sit down next to Percy, but then suddenly Apollo said, "Thalia!"

She froze and slowly looked up at him. He was grinning at her, and she didn't like it one bit. "Lord of the sky. Perfect! You can drive!"

Thalia's eyes widened. She shook her head. "No. Absolutely not."

Apollo pouted. "C'mon. How old are you?"

Thalia hesitated. She bit her lip and stared at her feet. "I don't know…"

She honestly had no idea. She had been turned into a tree when she was about twelve, and while she slowly aged in her tree form, she wasn't exactly sure how old she was now. It made her depressed, knowing that she had basically no idea who she really was anymore.

Apollo felt some sorrow for her as he stared at her. He'd seen many heroes with that same look. But to see her looking so lost and hopeless…Apollo shook his head. "You're about fifteen, sixteen in a week."

Thalia looked up at him. "December twenty-second. That's my birthday."

He nodded once and smiled slightly at her. He held up his keys. "So…want to drive?"

The daughter of Zeus blinked. He had just helped her, and he hadn't been trying to make a pass at her. She bit the inside of her cheek.

"Now I know what you're going to say," he interrupted. "You don't deserve the honor of driving my chariot—"

"That's not what I was going to say," Thalia said icily.

He ignored her. "—but don't sweat it! Maine to Long Island is a really short trip."

"Apollo, I don't want to drive," Thalia protested again. However, he grabbed her arm and before Thalia could punch his lights out, she was strapped into the driver's seat, Apollo standing next to her (but far enough where she couldn't punch him). He was grinning stupidly as the other demigods shifted nervously.

"Alright," Apollo started. "Speed equals heat, so start slowly."

Thalia gulped and gripped the wheel tightly. She looked like she was going to puke. She licked her lips and pulled the wheel back, causing the bus to jerk upward so fast that everyone fell back against their seats.

"Sorry!"

"Slower!" Apollo advised.

"Thalia," Percy said, "lighten up on the accelerator."

"I've _got_ it," she growled back.

"Loosen up."

"_I'm loose!_" she growled, never mind that she was stiff as a board.

"Hang a left or we'll miss Long Island," Apollo said, slightly nervous. Thalia jerked the wheel, causing the demigods to lurch one way. "Uh…your other left."

Apollo peaked outside the window and felt his stomach lurch. He glanced back at Thalia, who was starting to sweat with nerves.

"Ah…" Apollo started, clearing his throat. "A little lower. Cape Cod is freezing."

Thalia tilted the wheel down, and Apollo flew back from the speed of the shuttle. He gritted his teeth and climbed up the rows to get back to the front.

"Take the wheel!" Grover begged.

"No worries, no worries. Just—WHOA!"

"Pull up!" Percy yelled.

After watching New England get scorched with heat and then torched with snow in less than a minute, Apollo pointed to a town just ahead.

"There!" Apollo practically shouted, gripping Thalia's seat. "Long Island, dead ahead. Let's slow down, sweetheart. 'Dead' is only an expression."

Thalia clenched her teeth, staring, terrified, at the island below her. "I've got this."

"Brake now," Apollo advised, staring at Long Island nervously.

"I've got this."

"BRAKE!"

Thalia slammed on the brake and the shuttle lurched and crashed into the canoe lake of Camp Half-Blood. Naiads screamed and scrambled away, their wicker baskets being smashed and completely destroyed.

Thalia's eyes had clenched shut, but now she slowly cracked them open, staring as a fish swam by her window. She slowly turned to look at Apollo, breathing hard. He blinked and gave her a small, brave smile.

"Well…" he started slowly. "We survived. Great job, sweetheart. Let's see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"

The demigods scrambled off the bus as fast as they could, glad to be back on solid ground. Hands shaking, Thalia unbuckled herself and stood on jelly legs. Apollo gave her a reassuring smile, but she just ignored it and stepped out into the water, which was unnaturally hot despite the snow on the ground. Once the demigods were safely at camp, Apollo waved to the Hunters.

"Take care, ladies!"

They scowled and hurried away from him. Then, he turned to Thalia, winking and giving her a wicked smile. Finding herself again, Thalia glared back with narrowed eyes, daring him to say something perverted.

"I'm sure we'll meet again, Thalia," he said pleasantly, hopping back into his car, which was once again a Maserati. He gave her one last knowing look before driving away into the sky.

Thalia growled and stomped away towards the Big House. Insufferable.

* * *

><p>Apollo had, unknowingly, changed her life. Throughout the whole quest, Thalia would have little thoughts about him and how she had driven his chariot. She hated it. She hated him, quite frankly. He was flirty, immature, and intolerable.<p>

When she, Zoe, Percy, and Grover had arrived at the dam, they had been exhausted, mentally, physically, and most of all emotionally. They had lost Bianca, and they still there was no sign of Artemis or Annabeth. Strung out, she, Zoe, and Grover went to the visitor's center while Percy went off to think, as he so strangely put it.

Once at the visitor's center, the three dispersed to look for snacks at the dam snack bar, agreeing to meet at up a certain table in five minutes. As Thalia was searching, a guy bumped into her roughly, causing her to stumble and fall. She growled, her temper short. "Watch it!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry, Thalia. Didn't mean to actually make you fall."

The blue-eyed girl felt dread slowly fill her. She knew that voice. She grimaced and looked up to find the sun god smiling down at her. He was dressed in ripped jeans, a white t-shirt, and a burgundy Hoover Dam hat with a bill sticking out. His bangs fell over his eyebrows, and his eyes were a nice grassy shade of green. He was holding his hand out towards her to pull her up.

Thalia scowled and knocked his hand aside. She pushed herself up and stood to her full height, which compared to him was nothing. She barely reached his shoulders. She shook her head and walked past him. "Why are you here?"

Apollo followed her through the crowd, keeping close to her so as not to lose her. "Whatever happened to 'Lord Apollo' by the way?"

"You lost my respect with all the flirting you do."

Apollo frowned slightly. "I'm not that bad."

"You didn't answer my question."

Thalia spotted the snack bar and started browsing through, picking out something to eat. Apollo still followed her. "I'm here because you guys need my help."

Thalia scoffed. "No offense, but how can you help us? Gods aren't supposed to interfere directly."

Apollo nodded. "Yes, but I'm incognito."

She looked at him. "_How?_" she asked, exasperated.

He smiled and pointed to his hat. "I never wear hats. They mess up my hair."

Thalia stared at him. He was for real, right now. He honestly believed himself. She rolled her eyes and made her way to pay for the food. "Whatever. You're wasting my time."

However, Apollo stepped in front of her and cornered her in a less crowded part of the snack bar. His face looked serious and Thalia felt a small spasm of fear.

"Trust me," Apollo spoke, his tone serious for once. "I'm here to give you advice."

Thalia had no choice but to nod. She was distracted by how close he was. She could feel his body heat emanating on her as he stood over her.

"Listen, this quest is dangerous."

Thalia's eyes flashed. "You think? We just lost Bianca!"

He nodded. "And I'm sorry for that, but that's exactly what I mean." He shook his head, and Thalia could see his eyes switching from their deep green to an almost black. His Oracle must have been acting through him. "After this quest…people are going to change. A course of events will be set into place." He stopped and bit his lip, looking into Thalia's electric blue eyes. "I just want you to remember that things aren't always as they seem."

Thalia blinked at his advice and looked away. Apollo stepped back, looking nervous and uncomfortable. The tension between the two was palpable.

Thalia swallowed and looked down at her sandwich that she still had to pay for. "Well, thanks, I guess."

Apollo watched as she glanced at him one last time before turning to walk towards the cashier. He let the crowd cut in between them, obscuring her from his view. He sighed. She was definitely special, and if everything happened like it was supposed to, he wasn't going to be very happy.

* * *

><p>The demigods found themselves in the massive throne room on Mt. Olympus. They were standing before the gods, awaiting their fate. They had stopped Atlas and saved both Artemis and Annabeth. Now, Percy and Thalia were waiting to hear if they would be blasted or not.<p>

"I gotta say," Apollo started, "these kids did okay."

He was wearing a gray button-down and he had his iPod headphones in. His dark shades were on, but he pulled them off and hung them on his white shirt under his button-down. He gave them a grin, staring at Thalia who blatantly ignored him, rolling her eyes.

The gods argued over whether or not to kill the two, like they weren't even there. Thalia listened intently, her whole body tense and stiff. Suddenly, Artemis spoke up, saying she needed a new lieutenant. After speaking privately to him, she suddenly turned towards Thalia.

"Thalia, Daughter of Zeus, will you join the Hunt?"

There was a stunned silence all around the room that engulfed Thalia. She felt Annabeth's hand squeeze hers before letting go. Thalia swallowed hard. She glanced at Apollo, who was staring at his iPod with a frown.

Thalia stood tall, lifting her chin. "I will."

And with that, she made her pledge to Artemis. When she was done, a glow seemed to engulf her. The blessing of Artemis and the immortality that came with it. Thalia turned with a small smile and gave Percy a hug.

"This is what feels right, Percy," she murmured. "You are the child of the prophecy."

Percy grumbled. "Great."

She laughed. "I'm proud to be your friend."

He smiled back wryly and watched as she went and hugged Annabeth and Grover. Then, she turned to the gods and bowed before walking over to Artemis' side.

As the debate continued on, the new lieutenant Hunter glanced up. Straight across from her throne was Apollo's. He was staring at her with an emotionless face. Realizing she was looking at him, he quirked his lips to give a small smile before retrieving his shades and placing them on his face, effectively closing himself off.

Thalia blinked, feeling something inside of her tick. That little gesture bothered her more than it should have.

* * *

><p>A year passed, and Thalia had become accustomed to the Hunter way of life. She found that not all the girls were stuck up. In fact, they all had a reason for being here, whether it was because of guy or past experience, they were there to prove themselves. One person she had gotten particularly close to was Olivia. She had been turned into a Hunter when she was sixteen. She had gotten pregnant with her boyfriend, but as soon as she told him, he ran off with another girl. She had a miscarriage, and her godly parent—Aphrodite—took pity on her and did the one thing that no one thought she would: she suggested her to the Hunters.<p>

Thalia felt bad for the girl. She had been a Hunter for ten years now. Thalia mildly wondered if she herself would be a Hunter for as long as Zoe, or if she would die in battle.

They travelled every day from city to city, tackling the Hunt. They searched for the animals of Artemis. They were either gold or silver, with a white glow around them. Once an animal was killed, they murmured a blessing and the creature was reborn somewhere else.

For the most part, Thalia had blocked out Apollo from her mind. Honestly, they had no ties, only the three times she had seen him last year. She shouldn't feel sad or upset that, while being with Artemis for almost three months, she hadn't seen him once.

Why did she even care? Why would she worry about seeing him or not seeing him?

But then he (finally) came back.

Thalia was with Olivia, and they were doing some archery in an abandoned meadow. Suddenly, there was a large burst of heat. Thalia and Olivia turned in surprise to see Apollo with his own bow, aiming it at their target. He shot it and the arrow whizzed between the two Hunters, hitting the center of the target.

Olivia rolled her eyes, but Thalia just stared at him. "What're you doing here?"

Apollo gave a cocky grin. "Came to talk to my sister. So uh…you ladies are practicing some archery?"

"We _were_," Olivia said dryly.

Apollo glanced at the target and found that there were arrows consistently lodged in a line across the circular target. Then, there were some arrows that were lodged in a random pattern with no rhyme or reason.

The sun god smiled wryly, turning back to look at the girls. "Well, you've been doing this for at least ten years," he murmured, pointing at Olivia. "So that means Thalia's the one who's bad with archery."

Thalia glared as Olivia smirked. The blue-eyed girl gripped her bow in a deadly vice.

"We can't all be gods of archery," Thalia ground out. Now she remembered why she hated him. "C'mon, Olivia. Let's get back to camp."

"Well why don't I join you ladies?" Apollo smiled. "I have to talk to Artemis anyways."

Thalia grumbled and exchanged a glance with Olivia, who looked amused as she looked between Thalia and Apollo.

"You know I could help you with your archery," Apollo said nonchalantly.

"My archery is fine," she replied stubbornly through clenched teeth.

"Not from what I've seen…"

She stopped and turned to glare at him, but he just held up his hands with an innocent expression.

The rest of their walk was continued in silence. Olivia couldn't help but notice as Apollo would glance over at Thalia, open his mouth to say something, and then close it before shaking his head slightly. All the meanwhile, Thalia glared at the ground before her, her eye twitching and her hands clasped tightly on her bow.

It was quite interesting.

The three arrived at the main camp site. The biggest tent was in the center. Wolves milled around as some Huntresses cleaned their bows, cooked supper, or just chatted with other members. When Thalia had been introduced to the Hunters, she had been put under Olivia's tutelage. Artemis had mentioned something about how Thalia would be a fine Hunter, and that she couldn't wait for Thalia to become lieutenant. Thalia herself wasn't so sure that she could live up to that, but she wouldn't really have much choice if Artemis appointed the position to her. Thalia would just have to take it and hope to gods she could handle it.

The three entered the tent and were hit with a nice blast of cool air, considering it was still summer time and it was pretty hot outside. Of course, the tent wasn't just any regular tent. It held magical properties that made the tent appear smaller than it actually was. Once inside, the tent revealed a living room-type of space with a small cupboard, a lavish rug, a recliner, and a long leather couch, on top of which lounged three wolves. When the three entered, the wolves growled lightly, their eyes practically glaring at the sun god.

"Sheesh," Apollo muttered. "No love, I swear."

"What do you want?" Artemis asked rudely. It was very out of character for her to be so blunt.

Apollo just raised a brow. "I need to talk to you."

The moon goddess stared at her twin, trying to decide if he was just being a mischievous jerk (like usual) or if he was actually serious. The look in his eye told her it was the latter. She gave a resigned sigh and spoke to Thalia and Olivia. "Please excuse us."

Apollo grinned and waved at Thalia, earning a scowl from not only Thalia but Artemis. Thalia stormed out with Olivia behind her. Thalia huffed and stalked off towards her own tent. However, she was stopped by Olivia's chuckle.

"What?" Thalia snapped, turning to glare at Olivia. Instead of being scared, Olivia just smirked and shook her head.

"Nothing," she said nonchalantly. A little _too _nonchalantly. "I'll see you at dinner."

Half an hour later, Thalia found herself back at the spot where she and Olivia had been practicing archery. She obviously wasn't the best, even with Artemis' blessing. Thalia was so used to using her spear and shield. It was weird to use long-range. She had never thought of it as very brave. Strategic, yes, but a bit cowardly.

But she was learning. At least, she was trying to.

"I could help you, you know."

Thalia bit her lip. She released the arrow and sent it whizzing towards the target, only to barely catch the edge of the target. She growled softly and turned to stare at Apollo, who was slouched in his stance, his hands in his pockets. He looked like such a regular, twenty-something-year-old guy that she had trouble believing that he was a Greek god.

Unbelievable.

"Help with what?" she murmured out in glum, glaring at the arrow that just _wouldn't hit the center._

"Your archery," he replied with a "duh" tone. "I _am_ the god of archery."

Thalia glared at him. He only smiled as he walked towards her to stand beside her. She wasn't exactly sure why she had this dislike for him. She hated how he flirted with every girl he saw and that he was immature and just plain _childish_. She hated that he usually found a way to disturb her peace. She had really only seen him three times before this—the chariot, the ominous message, and then at the hearing after they rescued Annabeth. But ever since those times, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him.

It scared her.

"I'm fine," she said stubbornly, looking up into his dark green eyes. His brow arched in disbelief and his lips twitched, fighting a smile.

"Really now?" he condescended sarcastically, crossing his arms. Thalia decided she also hated when he did that. "And you call that _fine_?" he gestured to the arrow sticking from the target.

Thalia swatted him with her bow. "Buzz off!" she growled. "Don't you have someone else to bother?"

Apollo rubbed his shoulder, giving her a sheepish grin. "Nope. In fact, you should feel honored that I would spend my time with you."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, sure."

His face grew sincere though as he smiled down at her. "Honestly, Thalia. Let me help you. Give me a month and you'll be as good as me."

Thalia looked at him. Of course he was right. Anyone would be lucky to have him for an archery teacher. But it was _Apollo._ He wasn't exactly the ideal teacher when you got to know him. And yet, for some reason, as she stared into his honest, dark green eyes, she found herself agreeing with a light sigh.

His smile grew into a grin as she agreed—albeit reluctantly. "Great! We'll start tomorrow!"

Great.

* * *

><p>The days passed. Almost every day, Apollo would stop by to help Thalia out for at least an hour. Eventually Artemis found out, and she was more upset with Apollo than Thalia. She could never really blame any of her Hunters when it came to her brother. But alas, Thalia did need help with her archery skills, and she was reluctant to admit that he was the best—even better than herself.<p>

Olivia had only snickered, ignoring the cold, embarrassed glare Thalia sent her way every time Olivia mentioned it. Olivia thought it was hilarious, and dare she say it, _cute_. Thalia found nothing cute about it. She was taking lessons from Apollo. Apollo was an immature, ridiculous pervert.

End of story. No cuteness.

Of course, the other Hunters found out. Some were jealous—whether because she was learning from Apollo, or because she was _with_ Apollo, she neither cared nor wanted to know. It was no secret that there were some girls who fawned over the sun god. Yes, he was a stud. No, he wasn't the ideal boyfriend. The more serious group of Hunters was split in two. Some were jealous she was learning from the master of archery himself.

But most of the Hunters found it a terrible idea, and that it would only lead to a bad finale. They believed that Thalia would somehow be swept off her feet by the god and that she would break her promise to Artemis.

Pft. Right.

But the more time Thalia spent with Apollo, the more attached to him she became. She was starting to get used to his endless innuendos, his silly jokes, his calming and laid-back demeanor. Thalia was actually starting to understand him in a different light than most people. She had discovered some interesting things too, like what tended to piss him off and what made him clam up (i.e. trying to dig for info about the upcoming war with Kronos).

He was actually a really funny guy, and he was caring and kind. He was genuine with helping her better her archery skills. Believe it or not, Thalia was starting to feel comfortable around Apollo, and it terrified her. She could feel herself starting to care for him. She was starting to like him, and maybe…well, she didn't necessarily like to think about.

* * *

><p>As the war neared, Apollo's lessons were coming to a close. He was hardly able to get away from Mt. Olympus, and it only became harder with each day. And so, on the last day, he arrived at his sister's camp and found Thalia in their usual field already practicing. Her arrows now went straight, and they were centimeters away from the center of the target.<p>

He only smiled when she spotted him, and she couldn't help but smile back. He sat down at the base of a nearby tree and gestured for her to sit beside him. A little weary, she followed and slid down beside him, her bow resting in her lap.

Apollo sighed as her scent washed over his senses. She smelled like…pine cones. He loved it. Her knee was pushed up against his thigh, causing goose bumps to rise on his skin. He could feel the heat radiating off of her, and it felt lovely.

He took a deep breath. "We'll have to stop lessons. The war…" he mumbled.

She only nodded in understanding and gave him a tired smile.

He was amazed, really. How could it be that this girl was still fighting, still standing on her own two feet after all she had been through? Honestly, he admired her in a way that he had never before with another person. He found himself caring deeply for her. He knew from the moment he'd met her that she was special. He could see the pain she carried with her every day. He could see how tired she was of holding all of this on her shoulders. He wanted to lift some of that burden off of her onto himself.

He wanted to _save_ her.

"Thalia…" he murmured lightly. She looked up at him, his bright green eyes staring back at her. Her blue eyes shocked him every time he caught a glimpse of them. He felt like they were digging into his soul and tearing him down until he was left with only his true feelings and emotions.

Thalia felt her heart pick up speed. Her stomach fluttered as he stared down at her with emotions she couldn't define. They were foreign to her, yet she couldn't help but love the way they made her feel. She didn't even notice he had leaned down until she felt his whisper on her cheek.

"I care about you, Thalia," he whispered, his breath ghosting across her face. Her eyes fluttered as his sweet breath invaded her nose. She caught his eyes and felt herself blush under his gaze.

She suddenly turned her head away, a frustrated look on her face as she stared at the ground. Apollo just sat there, frozen. After a minute, he licked his lips and sat back against the tree. The air between them was tense and awkward.

"Sorry—" he started, but Thalia cut him off.

"I…can't, Apollo," she whispered. "I want to," she amended, causing his heart to flutter. "But I just can't." Thalia gave a sigh, her tone sad and full of regret.

Apollo stared at her, watching as she gripped her bow in a tight vice. She started to speak, and her voice was infused with pain and anguish, tinged with slight bitterness.

"My mother was a pathetic excuse for a parent. She sure as hell didn't know how to love. I spent most of my life as a tree, neither alive nor dead. I lost Luke to a Titan. I practically lost Annabeth too. And now I'm a Hunter."

She shook her head. "Things never last in my life," she said slowly. "My weakness is that I get too attached, only to have it ripped away from me. I can't stand it anymore." Her voice caught and she took a deep breath. "I'm…afraid that if we…if I were to…"

Thalia stopped and looked at Apollo, her eyes wide, pleading for him to understand. He only stared back, hoping that she would see that he was sincere. He wanted to give it a try. He wanted to help her. But she appeared unwavering, and so he only sighed and nodded, looking away towards the forest.

Thalia's heart was beating sporadically. She couldn't believe this was happening. Truth was she had started to experience feelings for the sun god. For gods' sake, she wanted to date him!

But she couldn't. She was scared to. If she allowed Apollo into her world, she just knew she was going to lose him, one way or another. She was starting to fall for him, and it made her terrified. She didn't know how to love. She didn't know what it was like. How could she trust herself?

She couldn't.

It was that simple.

* * *

><p>It happened during a battle.<p>

Thalia was with the Hunters. They were currently battling a legion of demigods that was trying to launch a surprise attack on Percy's and Annabeth's group. They were supposed to cover his back, and cover it they did.

There were about fifty demigods, and about thirty Hunters. It scared Thalia to know that Kronos had had such a big influence on so many demigods. It made her sick to her stomach to know that so many of these young demigods were being mislead about how the gods actually are. She hated it.

She was fighting in hand-to-hand combat. She used her electric spear and Aegis, her shield, instead of her usual bow and arrow. It was a little odd, like putting shorts on again after a long, cold winter—it's familiar, but it's awkward after being away from it for so long. She was doing pretty well for not using it for so long. She was summoning lightning (though only if absolutely needed) and knocking kids aside left and right.

But there were so many.

During a particular skirmish, she was just knocking another young kid to the ground when she felt someone behind her. Her neck-hair stood on end and she twirled just in time to see someone blocking the attack with her sword.

Both Thalia and the rogue demigod looked up in surprise to see Apollo the sun god glaring down at the kid. He knocked the kid to the side without another thought and then turned to Thalia with a grim smile.

"Apollo," she breathed, her heart leaping in her chest.

"Thalia," he replied, pulling her to her feet. He held onto her hand for a bit longer than necessary before releasing it with a smirk. "I thought you fought better than this."

She glared at him. Then, as if to prove that she was indeed and excellent fighter, she turned and jabbed a demigod with the brunt of her spear and then knocked him down with Aegis. The kid immediately passed out, his sword lying a couple feet away from him.

Thalia raised her eyebrow at Apollo. "Better?" she asked sarcastically.

He smiled. "Much."

And then the two got to work, defeating demigods and knocking them unconscious. They didn't actually kill them—she wasn't a murderer—but she hated knowing that these kids were the reason Kronos had come to power. She felt bitter and hate towards these kids that could have potentially been friends of hers. If only they had gotten to them first…

But there was nothing she could do now.

Only fight.

After a while, the demigods started to understand that they had a god fighting alongside the Hunters. They started pulling back until all the remaining rogues were gone, leaving the unconscious ones on the streets and sidewalks.

Apollo turned towards Thalia, breathing hard. Thalia was also gasping for breath, sweat rolling down the back of her neck. She looked up at Apollo, his blonde hair flopping over in front of his eyes. He was dressed in his battle armor, which was pure gold that almost blinded her. She herself was dressed in little armor—a chest plate and arm guards. She never really liked wearing armor, especially since she had Aegis.

The sun god was staring over at Thalia. Despite the hard battle they had just fought, she looked gorgeous. She looked like she was ready to keep going. He noticed she was using her spear rather than her bow, and it gave him a glimpse of the Thalia before the Hunters, before she was immortal and started using long-range weapons.

She caught his eyes and smiled, her heart stuttering. Her skin flushed as she stared into those bright green eyes. He gave her a sort of crooked smile in return. Sometime, somehow, they had moved closer towards each other. They were now merely a step apart…a foot…an inch…

His breath whispered over her face. A shudder slivered down her spine, causing goose bumps to flutter across her skin. His large, strong hands slipped around her tiny waist, pulling her even closer. Thalia's heart skipped a beat and her spear cluttered to the ground as she placed her hands on his strong chest.

Apollo was nervous as hell. He'd never been this scared about kissing a girl. He'd never been this afraid that he would be rejected. But as he stared down into her shocking blue eyes, he felt a sense of calm wash over him. His confidence grew as he noticed the emotion of want in her eyes. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. Right now, staring into her eyes and holding her close, he could finally see that.

As he leaned down and placed his lips on her warm ones, he felt his body ignite with a sort of fire that he hadn't felt before. His whole being seemed to glow. His heart was pounding in his chest. Goose bumps rose and his skin tingled with delight. He'd never been happier.

She kissed him back. Thalia pressed her lips harder against his, turning her head to deepen the kiss. She'd never kissed a boy before. Kissing Apollo was pure heaven. She felt _whole_. She felt like she had found a part of herself that she didn't know had been missing.

She had a terrible past full of pain. They were in the middle of a war. She was scared as hell about the future, but being here, with Apollo, she was able to believe that everything would be all right.

* * *

><p>It was over.<p>

Percy had fulfilled the prophecy. He'd given the knife to Luke. Luke had killed Kronos. Luke was the real hero here. He always had been.

An overwhelming feeling of sadness washed over her as she hobbled into the Council room on crutches. She found Percy and Annabeth in the throne room with all the gods surrounding them. They were standing over Luke's lifeless body.

She felt tears come to her eyes, but she held them back. He was finally free from Kronos. It was true that Luke had been bitter about the gods—so bitter he'd turned to the evil that was the Titan King. But she believed that over time, he had discovered how horrible Kronos was. But maybe…maybe if he hadn't gone through all of this, he wouldn't have stopped being bitter.

It didn't matter though. He was gone, free from the torture.

"Thalia."

Her heart stopped. She looked up and found Apollo staring at her with a sad smile. He looked perfect, like usual. His hair was styled in that sexy-bed-hair kind of way. His bright green eyes were tinged with so many emotions it was hard to tell them apart. His face was relaxed, but when he caught sight of her leg, he grimaced.

Thalia just shook her head. "Of course I couldn't come out of this unscathed."

He laughed once and then knelt down in front of her. His hands passed over her leg and he muttered an incantation. Thalia felt a warmth seep through her skin and her muscle relaxed. Within a minute, she found her leg looking good as new. He took her crutches with a smile and they disappeared into thin air.

Thalia couldn't help but smile back, stepping closer to him. His body heat engulfed her and he gently grabbed her arms.

"I'm glad you're all right," he muttered, staring into her eyes.

She was about to reply, but there was a soft cough beside them. The pair looked over in shock to find Artemis standing before them. She was glaring daggers at Apollo, who only gave a sheepish laugh and released Thalia.

"Hey sis…" he said cheerily.

"We'll talk about his later," she said bluntly, a harsh undertone to her words. She gave Thalia a hard look and turned to stalk to her throne. Apollo sighed and turned to Thalia, who was frozen in her spot. An expression of panic fluttered across her face before it was replaced with nervousness.

"It'll be okay," Apollo whispered, giving her a reassuring smile.

She watched as he walked towards his throne beside his sister, ignoring her withering, cold stare. Thalia herself sighed, a feeling of dread washing over her. She lumbered over to her spot at Artemis' side and listened as the gods proceeded to give their gifts to the heroes.

When the ceremonies were done, Artemis cornered Thalia and Apollo. Again, she glared at Apollo, crossing her arms across her chest. Her face was a stern and disappointed.

"You stole my best Hunter," she bit out at him.

He held his hands up. "It takes two to tango."

Thalia blushed and sent a glare towards him. She bowed to Artemis. "Lady Artemis, I'm—"

"No," Artemis interjected, holding her hand up. "I do not wish for an apology. You cannot help yourself."

Thalia's skin grew even warmer. She looked down at her feet, away from Artemis' penetrating gaze.

"I do not understand why women are attracted to my brother—" Apollo's eye twitched "—but I can see that you two have fallen for each other." She turned to Thalia. "I cannot guarantee that this relationship will last. However, you cannot have both him and the Hunters."

Thalia opened her mouth to say something—_anything_—but Artemis stopped her with a hard look.

"I will give you a month's time to decide if this is what you want. If so…" She sighed deeply. "Then you will be free of your bonds to the Hunters."

Thalia was so shocked by Artemis' compromise, she couldn't even believe it. Granted, she'd have to make a decision in thirty days, but still. She couldn't have asked for anything better.

The moon goddess turned to Apollo. "You," she growled. "If you hurt her, I'll turn you into buck and have my Hunters hunt you," she threatened, glaring hard at him. Apollo just grinned his usual cocky grin and gave her a thumbs up.

"Message received."

Artemis huffed and rolled her eyes. She turned to Thalia and gave a small, tense smile, glared once more at her brother, and then stalked off towards a crowd of girls who belonged to the Hunters.

Thalia blinked twice before turning her stare onto Apollo. His grin softened into a warm smile and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.

"A month, huh?" he mumbled, resting his forehead against hers.

"Hmm…" Thalia hummed, her eyes closing on their own accord. Her hands ran up his arms to his shoulders.

"Do you need that long?" he asked, his voice sounded incredulous.

Thalia bit her lip and pulled back, looking into his green eyes once again. She found nothing but care and happiness and…

It was something she'd never really seen before. She had seen it between Percy and Annabeth. She'd seen in between Grover and Juniper.

And it hit her like a ton of bricks.

Thalia just laughed and leaned in, pressing her lips against his in a soft kiss, pouring everything she was feeling for him into that one kiss. She felt her soul light on fire. She felt safe. She felt the burden of the world lift off her shoulders. She felt cared for. She felt as light as a feather. She felt _wanted_.

She felt loved.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh how I love sappy endings! :) Honestly, I was very happy with how this turned out. When I first read about Thalia in the third book, I didn't really like her, but now I absolutely love her character. That's why I liked the Lost Hero too because you got to see more about her past. I think she's amazing. And of course everyone LOVES Apollo ;D<strong>

**I liked doing this, sort of like a character study type of thing. I might do more of these in the future...**

**Thanks for reading and review please!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


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